Yahoos
The Yahoos, scientific name Homo Gulliverus, are a race of humanoids that were first discovered when Lemuel Gulliver was shipwrecked on the land of the Houyhnhnms in 1711. They have been variously associated with the Mlch of Brodie’s Land and the Rat-Dogs of Watkinsland. Gulliver’s Yahoos Yahoos resemble human beings, but their heads and chests are covered in matted hair and they have a ridge of hair down their spine. They have brown skin and no tails. The females are smaller than the males and their breasts reach almost to the ground as they walk. The Yahoos are among the most unpleasant creatures on earth and appear to have a strong natural disposition to nastiness and dirt. They live in bands dominated by a leader who is always the ugliest and most deformed of the group. The leader usually has a favourite; his role is to lick his master’s feet and behind, and to drive females to the leader’s kennel. The favourite is hated by the whole herd and always stays close to his master for his own protection. When a worse animal can be found, the favourite is normally discarded. As soon as this occurs, all Yahoos in the area attack him and discharge their excrement on him, covering him from head to foot. The Yahoos, like most beasts, hold their females in common and form no permanent couples. They are the only animals on the island to suffer from illness, as well as from depression and spleen. The Yahoos are strong and agile, being particularly adept at swimming and climbing trees. They appear to hate all other creatures and fight among themselves incessantly, inflicting savage wounds on each other with their claws. They always fight over food, even if there is obviously enough to feed all. The females, especially the young, are extremely lascivious, frequently the cause of fights among the Yahoo males. The Yahoo are particularly fond of the shiny stones that are sometimes found in the fields and will dig from hours to try and find them. They then hoard and bury them, although the stones themselves have no intrinsic value. Having his cache of stones stolen is probably the worst thing that can ever happen to a Yahoo. They will eat anything they come across- from roots to dead asses and dogs- and have no discrimination whatsoever, although they claim to actually prefer food that has been stolen; the say it is tastier if it is thus procured. They are also extremely fond of a rare, juicy root, which they suck until they become intoxicated and collapse in the filthy mud. The origin of the Yahoos is a mystery, but it seems that they are not native to the country. Tradition has it that they were driven out of their own land across the sea, and that two Yahoos found their way into the mountains where they became even more degenerate than their compatriots. The Yahoos breed extremely rapidly, and at one stage they threatened to overrun the island on which they lived. For this reason, the Houyhnhnms began to hunt them down systematically. Nowadays, they are bred in captivity, kept in kennels and used as beasts of burden. So great is the Houyhnhnms’ loathing of the Yahoos that they use the word Yahoo as a negative suffix. Thus, an ill-contrived house will be described in their tongue as Ynholmhnmrohlnw-Yahoo. Though they might be advised to join a Yahoo-hunt, visitors are advised to avoid any contact with them. Category:Species Category:Pages